Welcome to any and all New Viewers of TB2000. Even though we are roughly five days from the rollover there is still time to make some preparations. Now is the time to ask any of those lingering prep questions you may have. There are lots of wonderful helpful people here who will be glad to answer your questions but you must ask them first.

-- ExCop (yinadral@juno.com), December 26, 1999

Answers

I have a question! lol. Does anyone know how long one of the small propane tanks ( for coleman stove, lantern etc..the ones for camping) last? I heard one hour and 15 mins.

Thanks! Danielle

-- Danielle (daniellejh@aol.com), December 26, 1999.

I just bought at Sams a little inverter/battery pack power source that can run appliances that are 300 watts or less. Comes with AC, car battery cables to charge from your car and cig lighter plug. Also can charge from solar panel. Does anyonw know where I can get a 3 amp solar panel...quick? Funny thing....I bought 2 of these little toys...there was a pallet load of them...about 100. Dozens of people were just strolling right past them...Amazing!! Most people still DGI and I guess will not GI ujtil next week. Dont forget my question...I need to find a 3amp solar panel. thanks

-- Rod (rspain@webcombo.net), December 26, 1999.

Rod, try realgoods.com. Very reliable company, could probably ship via overnight if you're in a hurry :)

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), December 26, 1999.

Danielle,

In Stevens book "Making the Best of Basics" he has a conversion table for two-burner camp stove fuel consumption, as follows: Figuring for cooking three meals a day - 4 hrs. per day will burn - 5 pints: In a week it equals 3 gallons: In a month equals 10 gallons.

Hope this helps you. Mary

-- Mary (doesnotmatter@thistime.com), December 26, 1999.

Mary, thanks so much! This really helped alot. Its much better than the 1 hour scenerio. A friend of mine had told me how to make a 'candle' stove out of a can and a candle, and it works great! So I can cut down my propane use and save that for the bigger meals, and the candle stove for the smaller things.

Thanks for taking the time to help :)

Danielle

-- Danielle (DanielleJh@aol.com), December 26, 1999.

Rod,

You might try www.harborfreight.com and www.sportmansguide.com

We've gotten 5 watt panels from both of these companies.

-- Lurkess (Lurkess@Lurking.Net), December 26, 1999.

Rod et al,

Try Northern Arizona Wind & Sun. Ph: 888-881-6464. Warren has been real helpful with my numerous questions and they have the solar panels. My guess is that you'd be looking for a 32 watt panel. Power = E x I ????

-- Russ (aa2gs@isoc.net), December 26, 1999.

First time poster, please forgive any errors. Been lurking for a while, though.....)

Have been preparing, and will continue to prepare, but what I woke up with was: what do I do with my refuse, both natural (umhum) and debris-type (empty cans, paper plates, etc)?.

We are set for several months' with no help, fist aid, etc. but still haven't got this one satisfactorily figured out.

Thank you, Lesser of two evils

-- lesser of two evils (lesserm@earthlink.net), December 26, 1999.

Danielle,

Also look around the prep forum for info on a "bush cooker" - basically a heavily insulated box that you can stick a pan into after bringing it to a boil. Beans and such will cook for quite a while like this, I have read. I have personally cooked wheat/rice in a good thermos overnite, after adding boiling water and the grains and then stopping up the thermos and laying it on it's side overnight - you could cover it with a towel for even better insulation. Not fancy but edible and saves your fuel.

Remember that you can eat canned foods without additional heating - fat free/low fat stuff is best - otherwise it looks/tastes kind of pasty.... yech!

-- Kristi (securxsys@cs.com), December 26, 1999.

Old Git, what makes you assume Rod would be in a hurry?

-- Butt Nugget (catsbutt@umailme.com), December 26, 1999.

lesser of two evils:

Check out this URL, on sawdust toilets. Very easy to make, you just need sawdust or woodchips, bleach and a couple of buckets. You might also want to pick up a bag of lime for sprinkling on any people waste you bury in the backyard.

http://www.rdrop.com/users/krishna/sawdust.htm

Season's best,

-- silver ion (no@poops.here), December 26, 1999.

sawdust toilet link

-- silver ion (click@go.poop), December 26, 1999.

silver iron,

what kind of lime and where can i find it? the only kind of lime that I have come across is pickling lime.

-- LZach (lisa@texasnetworks.com), December 26, 1999.

Danielle, the 10 gallons a month usage of propane is right on target, based on the usage of the two burner camp stove only. We lived off grid for alot of years, family of three, using the two burner camp stove in conjunction with wood stove top cooking. I do not know about the lantern, etc. This included usage for heating water for household and bathing use. Canning season used almost a month's worth, if you do alot of that. Think conservative, use lids and the right size/type pan for the job.

Also, be sure you plan ahead for some sort of pot to use exclusively to heat water with. You don't want to be cleaning a used pot from cooking to use to heat dish water with after a meal. I use a samll old canner, holds about a gallon and 1/2 of water, and a round pizza pan makes a great lid. It is very solid, holding the water warm for a time, once the flame has been turned off under it.

Lime can be found cheapest at feed stores. $4.50 here for a 50# bag.

-- Lilly (homesteader145@yahoo.com), December 26, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr (pic), near Monterey, California

Actually, here's the place to ask preparation questions: The TimeBomb2000 Preparation Forum

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), December 26, 1999.

LZach,

Bought two 10 lb. bags of hydrated lime at the hardware store.

Lilly is right, a feed store would be the best bet if you have one nearby. It's used in barns for freshening stall floors under bedding.

-- silver ion (hydr@ted.lime), December 26, 1999.